


Any Other Way

by strahl



Category: Magi - Fandom, Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Ableism, Alternate Universe - College/University, Domestic, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Mentions of Sinja, POC Judal, POC Ren family, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-05-25 22:46:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6213229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strahl/pseuds/strahl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Judal makes regular visits to a small, family owned coffee shop a small walk off campus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coffee and Clocks

**Author's Note:**

> The next chapters are a lot lighter, its mostly fluff from then on.
> 
> Unbeta'd. Please, let me know if there are errors. Thanks for reading!

He opened his deep crimson eyes slowly, squinting a bit as he fought the urge to recoil at the bright sunlight seeping into his room. He pulled the heavy blanket off of himself as he reluctantly sat up against his headboard. A quick glance at his alarm clock told him he had overslept, and staying in bed any longer would make him appear far lazier than he would have liked. He rubbed his eyes with a curled fist, stifling a yawn. He looked down at his hand, and just as he suspected, he didn't do as good of a job washing off his eye makeup the previous night as he thought he did. Groaning, he began pushing his sheets off of his body entirely. He turned his body, hooking his legs over the side of his bed. He planted his feet on the cold hard-wood floors, raising his arms to begin a long, drawn out stretch. He lowered his arms, body coiling back into a sitting position. 

Judal followed through with his daily routine. reaching around his bedside table to lazily push his glasses up to sit properly on his face. Though they were fashionable, he disliked wearing them. He was born with a disorder that left him with excess eumelanin in his eyes, giving them a deep red tint to his brown eyes. It didn't effect his vision that much- but it strained his eyes horribly not to don a prescription. He stood, hand coming to his disheveled hair from another restless night. He lazily began to unravel his long braid as he made his way to the bathroom. 

He cringed a bit at his reflection in the mirror, eyes smeared with small amounts of eyeliner and eyeshadow from the failure of an attempt to rinse them properly the night prior. He took off his glasses, placing them next to the sink, and finished unraveling his braid. His hair tumbled free, and he took hold of his contact case. He turned on the faucet, dousing his face with warm water and carefully began scrubbing at his eyes. Once satisfied, he leaned close to the mirror, and he slid in his prescription lenses. Blinking a few times, he was sure they weren't flipped or misplaced, and he continued his routine. He was going to miss his first class at this rate. Finishing up the rinse, he dried his face with a towel and reached for a comb to begin working through his impressive length of hair. After approximately five minutes, he had combed through the entirety of his hair, and began braiding it once again.

He heard his alarm go off, and he rushed back to his room, pulling off his shirt as he made his way to his dresser. He stripped his pajamas, digging through his drawers and throwing on a pair of tight black sweatpants and a red top. Now rushing, he fumbled with his socks and shoes, finally finishing his outfit. He grabbed his jewelry, and made his way back to the bathroom again. He put on a pair of gold earrings, a necklace, and a few bracelets to top it off. He stared at himself, and began to hastily apply his makeup. He chose bright reds and purples to compliment his eyes, clothes, and caramel skin tone. The bathroom was a mess, with tons of products lined up on the counter. His roommate would never let him hear the end of it, always yelling at Judal to tidy up the shared space. Judal simply brushed it off, his roommate wasn't exactly listening to his demands, either. He had failed to follow the rules of roommate etiquette, constantly bringing his boyfriend over so often that Judal dreaded coming home most nights. Judal figured having all of his makeup on the counter was just revenge for all of the sleepless nights he had suffered from their 'study sessions.'

Ready at last, Judal made one last trip to his room to pack his bag. He grabbed his textbooks, both of which he had stolen, and the rest of his notebooks and binders. He rushed to the door, glancing at the clock one last time. It read 12:26, and Judal sighed with relief. His class began at 12:45, which meant he had enough time to stop by at his favorite coffee shop. Slinging one strap over his shoulder, Judal opened the front door to find himself face to face with the roommate he was oh so fond of. His class probably just ended, as he was still holding his own bag and a few books in his arms.

"Looks like someone's not late today, for a change?" quipped the other boy. Judal hated the condescending way he always was spoken to by him, his roommate acting as if he were royalty or something of that sort.

"Shut up, Ja'far," he grumbled, shoving him out of the way to walk into the hallway. He didn't turn back to see the freckled bastard most likely snickering at how easily Judal gave in to his teasing. He rushed to the staircase, and began to make his way down the stairs, backpack feeling particularly heavy at the thought of going to his least favorite history class. He really needed some coffee, and finally reached the bottom of the stairs. He opened the door there, leading him outside. He knew his way around campus, he knew there were coffee shops offered there, but they were overpriced and the coffee wasn't nearly as good as what a real café had to offer. It was only a few minutes of walking off campus, anyway, and he and his wallet truly felt it was worth it. 

He began his walk, spotting a few birds along the way that he could name. The weather was nice, breezy but with a shining sun. and he was thankful for his clothing choices for the day. He hadn't checked the forecast in his rush to get ready, which could've been a fatal mistake. It has been before, Judal arriving soaked and late to class on multiple occasions. He spaced out and let his body go into autopilot, barely registering arriving at the coffee shop until he heard the familiar chime of the bell placed above the door.

He was greeted with the decals of flowers on the wooden door and eggshell walls, and as usual they looked delicately hand painted. He made his way to the counter, digging in his bag to grab his wallet. He looked up, wallet in hand, to see a familiar face. Her name tag read "Hakuei." She was wiping down the table, and she gave him a warm smile. 

"My shift is about to end. I'll get someone to take your order shortly," she threw her rag under the counter, and she disappeared to the back room. Judal took a seat, leaning onto his arms on the countertop. He was pretty well accustomed to this shop, he knew Hakuei couldn't make coffee, and that she usually found herself stuck sweeping, doing dishes, or waiting tables. Judal knew most of the other workers, they all went to the same college as him, and their classes had them alternating shifts. He knew they were all related- they shared strikingly similar features, having a small birthmark on their chin, dark hair, and soft blue eyes. Judal had been here at many points in the day, so he was able to encounter the siblings working each of their shifts. There was Hakuyuu, the eldest of the siblings who worked in the coffee shop, who worked dedicated and graceful. There was Hakuren, the second oldest, who was skilled at making espresso and could expertly remember orders. Hakuei was the third oldest, yet she seemed to be more school oriented than her older brothers, and Judal knew she was planning on starting medical school in the near future. Judal commended her for that, being able to balance her family life, school life, and job all at once. Lastly, there was-

"Hakuryuu!" Hakuei yelled, shooing the dazed boy out of the break room. "If Gyokuen catches you sleeping one more time, she'll bash your skull in. It's your shift."

"Got it," he said, and he rubbed his eyes, grabbing at an apron he deftly tied around himself. He turned to the counter, and his eyes lit up at the sight of a familiar customer. Judal had liked Hakuryuu the most out of the workers there, he was the most skilled out of all of them by far. He was in culinary school, so that was expected, but everything Hakuryuu had made for Judal seemed to perfectly suit his tastes. He would sometimes save small tarts and cakes to give to Judal, and Judal was eternally grateful for the kindness he was shown. He was short on money more often than not, and getting his hands on any desserts proved more difficult that he hoped. He made his way to the counter, subconsciously touching at the scarring on his face and brushing his hair over his ears.

"Hello," he gave a small smile, and he tied his loose hair up into a small bun, some strands still finding their way to frame his face. "The usual?"

"Of course," Judal enjoyed sickeningly sweet coffee, needing excess amounts of sugar to keep him alive through all of his classes. Hakuryuu always scrunched his nose when Judal added sugar to his already sweetened coffee, but he knew Judal wouldn't have it any other way. Hakuryuu expertly worked the coffee machine, coffee materializing in front of Judal, who was too busy daydreaming to notice the cup placed in front of him. Hakuryuu tapped a finger on the table, and Judal snapped out of his daze, looking down at the coffee. He fumbled with his wallet, taking out a five dollar bill, but Hakuryuu pushed his hand away.

"It's on me, it's fine," Hakuryuu assured him. It wasn't fine, though. Judal knew every time he did this, he paid for the drink out of his own ridiculously small paycheck. Judal wouldn't let him do that, and he placed his money on the counter.

"It's not fine, everything leftover from this is your tip. Thank you," He got up with his coffee, sure he only had a few minutes to get back to campus and to class. If he hurried, he could make it on time. He had his hand on the door handle, ready to leave, when he heard the unmistakable sound of glass shattering. Hakuryuu stood stiff, looking absolutely mortified at the broken cup on the floor beneath him. Judal knew working with his prosthetic arm posed a lot of difficulty, but he had never seen Hakuryuu so frustrated with himself than in that moment. He felt sorry for him, but couldn't find himself to stay- if he was late to his class, the professor wouldn't let him into the room. He was a step out of the door when he heard a horrible scream. He watched a scene unfold from the safety of being behind a window.

"You're so useless!" shrieked Gyokuen, as she chased him out from behind the counter, and Hakuryuu stumbled to the ground. She followed after him with a broom raised and body poised as if she were going to hit the boy. He had seen bruising on Hakuryuu's good leg before, and had just assumed it was from an accident or something. Judal cringed, hoping it wasn't what he assumed. He watched with disbelief, as Hakuryuu's mother verbally abused him and seemed to be on the border of physically abusing him. "This is the third time this month you've dropped something." Hakuryuu didn't respond to that, he only struggled to raise himself off the ground. Judal hadn't seen him fall down like that before, but he assumed it would be incredibly difficult to stand on his own, having a missing arm and leg from the knee down.

"You're as stupid as your father was," she scoffed, turning to head into the back room. She stopped to glance back at Hakuryuu, mumbling something Judal didn't get to hear. Whatever she had said, Hakuryuu's face was in shock, and tears began to flow. He couldn't get up on his own, and Judal wasn't about to leave him on the floor crying like this. He opened the door, wincing at the sound of the bell, finding himself standing next to the crying boy. He was curled up on his side now, hair coming undone, stuck to his cheeks where they were damp with tears. Judal knelt, and he brushed his neck with his painted fingernails.

Hakuryuu flinched at that, turning sharply and cowering away. That made Judal frown. How long had Gyokuen been doing this to him? This wasn't alright by any means. Judal took mental note that he still had a switchblade in his bag, and if she returned, he wouldn't hesitate on using it.

"Hakuryuu," Judal said, softly, "I'm not going to hurt you," he offered a hand to the smaller boy. He took it hesitantly and Judal rose to help him up. His hand was bigger than his own, surprisingly, and it was warm against Judal's cold fingertips. He clasped Hakuryuu's hand in his, and put a hand on his waist, helping to stabilize the boy as he stood shakily. He leaned heavily onto him, not to his own choice, and Judal willingly accepted the almost unbearable weight placed upon his delicate shoulders. Hakuryuu was still softly crying, and Judal wrapped his arms around his waist, helping to steady him. He slid his hands down his back, fingers finding the knot of his apron to undo it. It came undone easily enough, and Judal took a calculated step back to pull the apron over the boy's head. Thankfully, he was stable enough to stand on his own again. He sniffled, wiping at his eyes with a sleeve. 

Judal cupped his face, all of his frustration bubbling over into anger. He wanted to know what caused such a reaction in Hakuryuu.

"What did she say to you?" he demanded. He would ask Hakuryuu later about the bruising, but for now he wanted to settle this. Hakuryuu took a moment to steady his breathing.

"She said-" he paused, looking as if he were going to start crying again. Judal rubbed Hakuryuu's back, trying to coax the words out of him.

"Go on," Judal prompted. He didn't really want an answer to the question, he didn't want to feel angrier, he didn't wan't to know what string of words could hurt Hakuryuu like that. He hated to see him cry, and each moment that passed, he got more antsy and was tempted multiple times to just grab the knife from his bag and chase after that witch of a woman.

"She said she regrets ever hiring a cripple," Hakuryuu spoke quietly, looking down, face still caught in Judal's hands. The shop was silent, and Judal stared wide-eyed in astonishment at what had been revealed to him. He needed to get Hakuryuu out of here. A quick glance at the clock on the adjacent wall told him he was 6 minutes late to his class at this point, which meant he was forced to miss his class altogether. Hakuryuu hiccuped, rubbing at his eyes again. Judal hated every moment of this. He swore he would kill his mother when he had the chance.

He dropped Hakuryuu's face, instead lacing his fingers with the boy's. He would give anything to get him out of the situation he was in, but he knew it would be impossible for Hakuryuu to quit his job. Neither he or Hakuryuu had the means or money to change. His family and he were Chinese immigrants, they had been living in America for the past six years or so, and they seemed to be well established. His father had begun this shop, but he died shortly after coming to the new country. He had died from poisoning, and Gyouken had been taken to court to be tried for murder. The verdict was not guilty, as there was not enough evidence to make her accountable for the crime, and her husband was undocumented which made it harder to confirm the truth. She had done a damn good job covering up her tracks, because she somehow made it out entirely unscathed, seemingly content with her children hating her for the rest of their lives. Gyokuen lowered her children's wages, she made sure they couldn't leave her due to their financial dependency, and she reveled in it. 

Judal understood the hardship Hakuryuu must have gone through. He himself was an orphan, he lost his family before he could remember, and lived in an orphanage in Pakistan for the next ten years of his life. By the time he was twelve, he couldn't count how many foster parents he had. It seemed like an endless cycle of his unruly self being passed along between 'parents' before he was finally sent so far, he had to learn a new language. He had foster parents in America, and assimilating into society had been unbearably difficult. He knew a bit of English, but surely not enough to go into an American school like his makeshift parents had hoped. A year of tutoring, and he was able to attend school regularly. He recalls being ridiculed for his accent, his skin color, his hair, his eyes- nearly anything you could name about him. He was different in every sense of the word, and as a child he truly didn't understand why he didn't fit in with anyone. This sparked a hatred in him, pushing away any children or adults who tried to get near him, a habit he still hadn't shaken now that he was in college.

But, here he was, holding hands with a boy he swore he would do everything he could to protect. He fought the urge to pet at his hair and touch his scars as he led him out of the coffee shop, hearing that damned bell go off for the thousandth time that day. He didn't mind missing his class, if it were Hakuryuu. Hakuryuu followed him reluctantly, looking confused as to where they were heading.

"Where are we going?" Hakuryuu asked, glancing down as Judal began to swing their hands between them. He was grateful that Judal was walking slow, taking into consideration his difficulty with walking. He was okay with this, and had been attempting to find a way to get to hold Judal's hand for months. It was unfortunate that it took him having a breakdown for Judal to notice him like this.

"Back to my dorm?" Judal asked, seeming unsure himself, trying to leave room open for Hakuryuu to reject him or bring up another idea. He wanted to bring him back to his dorm, though. He found Hakuryuu quite beautiful, perhaps he would show his gratitude to Judal for rescuing him... Judal had to fight back grinning at the thought, but he doubted Hakuryuu was that kind of guy. Judal sure as hell was.

"Okay," Hakuryuu flushed at the implications of accepting the offer. He really wanted to go anywhere but home right now, he was considering going to the library to fall asleep in a dark corner for a couple hours. Judal seemed like a good person, though. He had come to the coffee shop so often, he could've been crowned their number one customer. Hakuryuu was uncomfortable with Judal's blatant flirting at first, but soon he got used to it, and he spoke to Judal during his breaks often. He even had brought him extra desserts from school or any cooking day he had. He knew exactly what favors Judal loved, sickly sweet, no sour or bitter ever allowed to come near his mouth. It was endearing, yet childish at best. Hakuryuu didn't mind this at all, Judal leading him back to his dorm, hands laced, with the beautiful weather shining onto his skin. He wouldn't have it any other way.


	2. Slumber and Serpents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakuryuu wakes up, meets Ja'far's snake and a field mouse meets its demise.

Hakuryuu woke feeling unusually warm, attempting to move, he failed to realize he was not alone. He shifted his body, raising his hand up to his eye to rub the tiredness from the previous day promptly away. Now slightly more aware of his situation, he could feel his cheeks heating up a bit and the urge to flee built. He was not asleep in his own bed, in fact, he was not asleep in a bed at all. Judal had his arms wrapped around him, both men were curled up with a single blanket and single pillow on the couch adjacent to the television. He fought back a groan at the memories of the day before; it dawned on him that he had nowhere to flee to, not even his own home. He remembers fighting off tears the entirety of the walk back to Judal's dorm, he remembers being so relieved to be away from his mother, he remembers Judal putting a movie on and putting his arms around him. He remembers kissing Judal. He didn't recall many details after that, only that he had obviously fallen asleep with Judal at some point.

He tried to sit up, sliding Judal's arm off of his body and placing it gently down on the couch where he resided moments before. Judal stirred slightly, nuzzling back into the pillow before his breathing evened out again and Hakuryuu was certain he was asleep. Hakuryuu let out a small breath he was subconsciously holding, finally feeling as if it was safe to breathe again. He checked his prosthetics, making sure nothing was damaged during his nap. He usually took them off for sleeping, but apparently couldn't find the time the previous night. He searched around for his shoes, finally finding them a few feet behind the couch, one being hidden nearly completely under it. He slipped them on, and he knelt to untie and retie his sloppy knots. He took the time to take in the sight of Judal sleeping. He was quite beautiful, he couldn't deny, and he was very grateful for his help the previous day. Judal shifted again in his sleep, and Hakuryuu paused his routine shoe tying motions to watch in case Judal had woken up. Quickly finishing the knots, Hakuryuu remained crouched and looked for the exit. He spotted the door soon enough, he had to make his way through the kitchen and to a small corridor before he could get to the door. He slowly stood, taking a glance back at Judal to make sure he hadn't woken yet. Seeing Judal's peacefully resting face hit him with a pang of guilt. Why was he leaving without truly thanking Judal? Where was he going to go in the first place?

Hakuryuu, became frustrated with his thoughts, and turned abruptly. He quickly made his way to the next room, not looking back at Judal again. He walked slowly through the kitchen, seeing the small area before he could make his way out of the door. He was stopped when he heard the sound of someone else entering the room beside him.

"And what are you doing?" an unfamiliar voice asked, and Hakuryuu stood rigid, mind straining to find an excuse. He would have to come up wth an answer soon, and he didn't know who this person was. He turned to face his addresser, and held back a laugh. He was a slightly smaller man, with incredibly messy stark white hair and dark eyes that would be intimidating if it weren't for his stature and delicate looking features. The man sighed, running his fingers through his hair and the turned to plug in the coffee pot. He scoured the cupboard, finally resting his hand on a dark green cup which he placed gently on the counter. He then turned back to Hakuryuu, raising an eyebrow at the fact that he had still not received a response. Was this Judal's roommate?

"Leaving," Hakuryuu answered with the truth, unable to think of a valid excuse. He began to back up, slowly getting closer to his desired destination. The strange man narrowed his eyes, and he took a step closer to him tentatively. He seemingly took notice of his disheveled hair and clothes, and smirked when he made a connection in his mind.

"No you aren't," the man said, swiftly walking behind Hakuryuu to stand between him and the door. He smiled again, before turning his head and leaning a bit to the left of Hakuryuu. He opened his mouth, inhaling a deep breath before yelling, "Judal!"

Hakuryuu's eyes widened at that, and he panicked slightly. How was he going to explain attempting to leave while Judal was still asleep? He turned to the white haired man, eyebrows knit.

"Please don't," he whispered, "I have to go."

"Not happening, this is just too unfair," he grumbled, brushing Hakuryuu aside, "And look who is finally awake!" the white haired man barked.

"I thought we agreed on telling each other when we would be having guests over," he gestured towards Hakuryuu, "since you so freely broke that rule, I'll be inviting Sinbad over." He punctuated that sentence with a glare, and he crossed the room to pour his cup of coffee. He took his leave, not sparing a single glance back. After a few moments he heard a door slam, and the sound of the shower. Judal sighed, and turned to face Hakuryuu.

"What happened?" Judal asked, still dazed from his abrupt awakening. He rubbed his eyes, removing a little unsuccessfully washed eyeshadow from his lids. He looked down at his makeup covered hand, sighing and continuing to rub at his eyes. He looked up at Hakuryuu, who looked as if he were a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. He tilted his head and looked Hakuryuu in the eyes, seemingly finally making connections between what he just witnessed. "Wait, were you trying to leave?"

Hakuryuu swallowed, his throat feeling dry, and he stumbled to find words. He settled on nodding a simple 'no.' He looked down at the ground. It wasn't the truth, but perhaps he was acting rash before. He had nowhere to go, and staying with Judal seemed like the best option he had at the moment.

"Hakuryuu!" Judal yelped, too excitedly for this early in the morning. Hakuryuu raised his head quickly to see what could've elicited that reaction from Judal. It could've been a lot of things, that excited tone mixed with his own name. Judal seemed to be very lively around him, for some reason, usually enthusiastic to interact with the other boy. He looked up at Judal with a small smile.

Judal was turned away, crouched down on the floor at the corner where the cupboard met the wall. His long hair was in a plait as usual, hanging down his back. Judal was wearing loose bed clothes, a shirt that was loose and too small, and pants that were loose and too big. This resulted in nearly the entirety of Judal's mid and lower back to be exposed. Hakuryuu followed the curve of his body, eyes trained on where his pants threatened to simply slide off. He gulped, looking away, shameful. He walked to Judal's side to get a view of what caught his fascination.

Hakuryuu felt a little bit of pity for the sight before him. Judal had cornered a small field mouse, and was working to get it trapped in his hands. Why Judal would ever need to catch this mouse, Hakuryuu would never know. But it was fascinating nonetheless to watch Judal so focused on something. After a couple moments of shifting, Judal managed to grab the critter by the tail. He held it up to Hakuryuu, eyeing it.

"It's really small," he noted, crossing the room with the mouse. He exited the kitchen, pausing to motion for Hakuryuu to follow. Once he caught up, he put a single finger to his mouth, cautioning to be silent. He watched Judal make his way to what seemed to be his roommates room. He stopped at the door, and Hakuryuu followed him.

"This is Ja'far's room," Judal explained, "I want to show you something. You have to be quiet about it, though." Judal put his finger to his mouth again, and winked at Hakuryuu. Hakuryuu rolled his eyes.

The door creaked as it opened, and Judal sighed a breath of relief at the sound of the shower. Ja'far won't scold him this time. Hakuryuu followed him into the room, taking in the small space. It was cluttered, yet organized. Ja'far seemed to be a hard worker, desk full of open textbooks and hand written notes. Judal made his way to the brightest part of the room, it was cramped with downward-pointing lamps over three tanks. 

"Isn't this against dorm rules?" Hakuryuu asked tentatively, as he watched Judal slide the lid off of the biggest tank, carefully eyeing its inhabitant.

"Yeah," Judal admitted, "But I like them, so I didn't report them. Ja'far has had them for some time now." Judal lifted a small rock structure, coaxing the snake out of it's resting spot. It was a fairly large piebald ball python, with alternating white and brown patches. It wrapped itself tightly around Judal's hand and wrist, soon catching eyes with the squirming rodent still trapped in the fingers of the opposite hand. Judal looked up at Hakuryuu, trying to gage his reaction.

Hakuryuu was gaping, entranced at the sight before him. Watching the snake coil itself over Judal's delicate hands left him awed. He had always had an interest in snakes, finding fascination as a child in mythology involving them, specifically dragons. As a child, he and Hakuei would play in the gardens often, and Hakuryuu had been caught on several occasion trying to sneak garter snakes in his pockets into the house.

"Does this bother you?" Judal asked, raising the snake to Hakuryuu's face.  
"I like to watch them eat, it's really cool. They're powerful for their size."

"I like snakes," Hakuryuu admitted, "Are you going to..." his eyes shifted, to the mouse.

Judal gave a cheshire grin, clearly excited for this part. He placed the snake onto the ground, letting it coil and slither until comfortable. He took a step back, and he released the mouse onto the floor, the snake lashing out immediately, striking the creature and wrapping it's body around it as it struggled to survive. 

Judal and Hakuryuu watched with a sick fascination together, shoulders nearly touching watching the display of animalistic instincts and fear before them. Hakuryuu spared a glance at Judal, whose eyes were shining with utmost attentiveness. 

He looked stunning, even in the glow of the heating lamps. He felt the urge to touch his hair, the lighting seemingly making the tips of his hair glow. Hakuryuu began to openly stare at Judal, still in shock that the eccentric guy who kept pestering him during his shifts now had him in his apartment. Did he owe Judal for this? He took a moment to contemplate that thought, but the sound of the shower turning off snapped both of them out of their daze. 

Judal picked up the snake, it now working on the process of swallowing and digesting the rodent. He placed it gently back into it's enclosure, flipping the rock structure back over for the snake to enjoy, and sliding the lid over the top.  
Judal turned and made his way to the door, and Hakuryuu followed. He felt as if he knew Judal for much longer than he had, it didn't feel weird to stay like this with him. 

Once out of Ja'far's room with the door safely shut, Judal turned to him.

"So," he started, grinning, "How about you make me breakfast?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine Judal and Ja'far would not get together well as roommates, at all.
> 
> I might write more, and the rating could possibly move up for the next chapter.
> 
> Please leave some comments because I'm not exactly sure how I feel about continuing with this story.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Passions and Peaches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakuryuu cooks for Judal after some willful manipulation.

Hakuryuu was reluctant to cook a meal in someone else's kitchen. Unfortunately, he was coaxed into the kitchen by a persistent Judal who was following closely at his heels. 

"I'd prefer to take a shower first," Hakuryuu complained, turning to Judal, who then placed his hands on his hips to keep guiding him towards the kitchen. Hakuryuu glared at him, yet Judal only gave a devious smile. Hakuryuu sped up and Judal lost his hold, but that only resulted in a small victory for Judal, as Hakuryuu was now closer to the kitchen. "I'm not agreeing to this."

Judal continued to usher him toward the room, retorting, "Ja'far just got out, the water's going to be cold."

At this point, he was trying anything to convince him to stay here right now. Judal hated to admit, he really did look forward to eating Hakuryuu's cooking. He could never fathom making a meal as well as Hakuryuu did. Judal could barely boil water for tea, and he was glad he could keep himself alive on a steady diet of fruit, fast food, and whatever he got from the coffee shop. He lost his train of thought when Hakuryuu suddenly stopped walking.

"I don't mind a cold shower," he turned to Judal, mismatched eyes testing him. Judal took the chance to take a step in front of Hakuryuu, grabbing his arms in a dancing sort of manner. He took him into a spin step, dramatically raising his chin as if he were a professional dancer. 

"What are you..." Hakuryuu trailed off, taking a small notice of the fact that they were in such close proximity to one another. He sighed, leaning into Judal, allowing himself to practically be danced to the other room. After all, he had actually planned to make Judal food since he first had asked, but he hoped he could at least get a shower out of this encounter. He felt like agreeing would be an unfair arrangement, it did take a lot out of him to cook a meal from scratch. 

They danced around in circles for a bit, Hakuryuu not really noticing or caring how ridiculous they must have looked. He zoned out, eventually refocusing and noticing Judal had been staring at him for a while, mouth in a small smile. He opened his mouth to speak, and Hakuryuu saw the glint Judal got in his eyes when he got excited. Hakuryuu immediately regretted ever agreeing to come to his home with him in the first place.

"Hakuryuu, let's make a deal," Judal moved closer to Hakuryuu, and he soon found his back against a wall. Judal wasn't holding him anymore, just looming above him, arms crossed with a smug expression on his face.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" Hakuryuu asked, deadpan, knowing already too well where this was heading. 

"If you make me food," Judal started, "I'll do you the honor, and do your makeup for you!"

"How many times have I said," Hakuryuu began his soliloquy, because at this point he was sure Judal had ceased to hear him any longer. In vain, he continued, "that I don't want my makeup done. It's not a special honor to have my makeup done by you or whatever you think it is. I could probably do it on my own just fine if I wanted. You barely know how to apply half of the things you own."  
Judal considered that for a moment, and shrugged.  
"It'll be a lot of fun, though. And you can absolutely use it as an excuse to use my shower," he continued, "Water bills are higher than ever, I don't think we both can shower tonight."

"You've got to be kidding," Hakuryuu groaned, pushing Judal away from him, realizing how he was being trapped into this situation too late. He wouldn't be allowed to shower if Judal didn't do his makeup, and Judal wouldn't do his makeup if he didn't cook him a meal. This was something Judal was annoyingly good at, manipulating people, specifically him. Hakuryuu was no fool, however, often tricking Judal with his wits more than Judal even noticed. 

"Hakuryuu, is it a deal?" Hakuryuu was now a pace from Judal, turned away. Hakuryuu walked to the kitchen, finally passing through the doorway and laying his eyes upon the kitchen again, this time seeking materials. 

"I'd assume that it is," Hakuryuu began opening cabinets, drawers, scouring the barren kitchen for anything to work with. He doubted he could find any sort of spices more than salt or maybe pepper if he's lucky.

Judal was practically over his shoulder the entire time, watching carefully and curiously. Hakuryuu's actions were a bit confusing to him, but he remained quiet.

"Do you have an idea for what you want?" Hakuryuu turned his head, finding himself nose to nose with Judal. Huffing, he turned back around.

"Nope," Judal trotted around Hakuryuu, struggling to find a place to sit on the counter. He found one eventually, and he swung his legs like a child. 

Hakuryuu opened the fridge, and his heart sank. It was hideously bare, only a few bags of peaches and a few bottles of vodka on the bottom shelf. On the top shelf, was a nearly empty carton of eggs, a half gallon of milk, and a pint of orange juice. He opened the freezer, and recoiled at the sight of the frozen rodents tightly packaged on the shelves, each of which had a date written on the plastic with a marker. At least Ja'far was organized, and not disgusting enough to keep rats near human food.

"Breakfast food it is," Hakuryuu mumbled, closing the freezer, andgrabbing the carton of eggs. He placed them on the counter next to the stovetop. "Where do you keep your skillet?"

"A what?" Judal tilted his head, puzzled.

"A pan?" Hakuryuu rephrased, gesturing towards the eggs next to the burners. Judal put two and two together. He pointed to a low drawer, and Hakuryuu made quick work of retrieving what he needed out of it.

"I'm making you eggs," Hakuryuu explained, placing the pan onto the burner. "You don't have anything to even put into an omelette."

"Peaches?" Judal suggested. He was always fine with eating those.

"That sounds disgusting," Hakuryuu scoffed. "Can you get me the salt and pepper?"

"I don't like eggs that much," Judal groaned, slinking down from his mount on the counter, and opening a cabinet to provide a small McDonald's packet of salt and one of pepper.

Hakuryuu scrunched his nose, and opened his palm for Judal to place the packs into his hand. He kept his prosthetic hand at his side, he could cook eggs in his sleep. He was quite confident about his cooking abilities, but this really was much simpler than he had expected, and Judal was quite picky.

Hakuryuu got out a bowl to whisk the eggs, and used a fork to beat them once he was unable to find a whisk.

"Oil? Butter? Anything like that?" Hakuryuu turned to Judal yet again, brows furrowed at his frustration of working in such a bare minimum situation. 

"We have," Judal opened the fridge, and a packet of butter from a restaurant materialized, "This."

"You need to start buying normal household things," Hakuryuu complained, but still took the butter from Judal. He turned on the burner, and melted the butter. He poured the scrambled eggs into the pan.

"Ja'far always gets milk and eggs. We get cereal, sometimes," he shrugged, "We usually just steal it from the cafeteria. I know some people with money, that's how I get so many peaches. I practically live off of those and whatever I get from the coffee house. Everything you make is so tasty, Hakuryuu!"

"Stop with that," Hakuryuu felt his cheeks warm a bit at the praise, being so used to being treated with little to no respect working behind a counter. He stirred the eggs to distract himself.

"Want an apron or something to go with that cute expression?" Judal mused.

Hakuryuu didn't hesitate to raise the fork currently stirring the eggs and fling raw egg at Judal, who yelped.

"Hakuryuu! My hair!" he whined.

"Eggs are good for your hair," he continued to stir. He didn't know if that was true or not. He did know that feeding eggs to dogs helped keep their coats glossy. Judal wasn't exactly a dog; dogs listened to commands.

Judal patted his hair with a paper towel, wiping the egg off his cheek with the back of his hand. He was preoccupied with his appearance maintenance so long, he didn't stop until he heard the sound of a plate hitting the table.

Hakuryuu looked to Judal, who was at the opposite end of the kitchen, and pulled out a chair for him. Judal happily took a seat. He looked at the dish.

Hakuryuu had cut peaches for him, placing them in a circle around the pile of eggs. The eggs did look good, seasoned gracefully, and cooked to perfection. Ja'far always undercooked them, which was gross to say the least.

Hakuryuu sat across from Judal, eyeing him to make an attempt to gage his reaction. Judal picked apart the nicely plated meal, starting to eat it slowly. 

"Hakuryuu." Judal said with a mouth full of food, "This tastes good, but when we're done we're starting your makeup."  
Hakuryuu had almost forgotten about that. He sighed.

"When we're done? I'm not eating anything," Hakuryuu was quite hungry, he hadn't eaten since the day before. Watching Judal eat didn't help that.

Judal contemplated that for a bit, tapping his fork against his mouth. He abruptly stood, grabbing his plate and walking to the other side of the small rickety table. He placed the plate in front of Hakuryuu. He had eaten most of the peaches, and about half of the eggs. Hakuryuu straightened his back, and stared up at Judal.

"I'm not eating the rest, I made that for you," he protested, "Eat it."  
Judal frowned, and he wrapped his arms around Hakuryuu's neck, then proceeded to take a seat next to Hakuryuu. Unfortunately for Hakuryuu, that seat was his seat. He and Judal were uncomfortably close: Judal was practically on his lap. Judal held a forkful of egg to Hakuryuu's face. 

Hakuryuu rolled his eyes, his mind deciding this would be the easiest solution, half deciding this was the best way to stop starving. Judal fed him the rest of the plate, and Hakuryuu figured there were other times to embarrassed over this. He was hungry, and the eggs didn't taste that horrible with the peaches on the side.

The plate was clearing quickly, with only a few peach pieces left. Judal put the fork down, opting to feed Hakuryuu by hand. Hakuryuu almost didn't let him, but the look in Judal's eyes left him a bit conflicted. 

Judal had a strange habit of staring at Hakuryuu, which was inconvenient, since Hakuryuu also enjoyed gazing at the other man from time to time. Judal constantly would tell him how good he looked when he was working, which could have been filed as harassment if he wasn't careful. Hakuryuu didn't find himself to be anything more than average, but Judal was definitely something out of this world. He was so unique looking, beautiful and radiant, his gorgeous locks accenting him in an ethereal way even when braided. 

The peaches were all gone now, which only left Judal with sticky fingers and Hakuryuu a sticky mouth. That also left Judal with his arms around Hakuryuu's neck, practically on his lap. Judal leaned down, closing his eyes and pressing his mouth against Hakuryuu's. Hakuryuu's eyes slipped shut, and he returned the gesture. Judal pulled back, smiling against Hakuryuu's face. Judal moved closer again, and Hakuryuu hesitated.

Hakuryuu had never been in an intimate situation like this before, Judal being his first kiss. It was a bit much for him at the moment. He leaned back and placed a finger to Judal's lips.

Hakuryuu finally smiled back, "How about we start my makeup now?"


	4. Makeup and Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judal does Hakuryuu's makeup, and succeeds in more than one way.

Judal held Hakuryuu's hand when he walked him to his room.

There wasn't a chance of Judal losing him along the way, this dorm was quite small, and the walk was getting increasingly shorter. But he was indulging; Hakuryuu has a very soft hand. He opened the door, a bit mournful of having to let go of his hand now.

The room was plain, Hakuryuu observed that early on. A bare bed, a couple posters from a band he didn't recognize, a stack of unopened boxes in a corner. It was surprisingly clean, but it seemed more unused entirely. A vanity with drawers beneath it and a small storage shelf beside it seemed to be the place they were headed.

"Wait a second," Judal said, suddenly stopping and turning to exit the room. Hakuryuu fiddled with his prosthetic finger joints until he returned with a metal fold out chair from the kitchen. He opened it beside the wooden chair seated in front of the vanity. He patted the seat welcomingly, though the metallic sound was quite unappealing.

Hakuryuu sat down anyway, and Judal followed shortly after. They both were staring into the curved mirror of the vanity. Judal swung his legs, seemingly waiting for a prompt to start.

"Let's get started?" Hakuryuu asked, a bit confused, glancing at Judal through the mirror.

"Oh, right," Judal seemed a bit out of it, as if he just suddenly regained knowledge of what he was doing. "We need to move first, so you can face me."

After a brief moment, Hakuryuu was facing Judal, and their knees were touching. Hakuryuu noticed immediately, taking a few quick glances downward as Judal leaned to shuffle through drawers of makeup. He grabbed some brushes and shuffled through hair accessories. Judal shook his knee slightly, his body finding something to keep itself from being idle for longer than a few seconds. Hakuryuu didn't mind the feeling.

"I don't want you looking at yourself until I'm done," Judal decided, his speech a bit muffled by the hair clips he held in his mouth, and he stood. He leaned close to Hakuryuu, grabbing either side of his seat to spin him so his back faced the mirror. Judal then moved his seat to the opposite side, facing the mirror and Hakuryuu.

He brushed through Hakuryuu's bangs with his fingers, clipping them to the top of his head. He tucked the longer pieces in the front behind his ear. When his fingers brushed Hakuryuu's scarred cheek, he felt a pang of discomfort at being touched on the face. He had been treated quite badly about his scarring in the past, and he disliked when people felt they had the right to touch him as if he were a rare exhibit.

Judal was different, though. He hadn't once mentioned his scars in a negative way, never once had he prodded him to know where he had got them or how far they go. He was grateful to Judal for that, most people didn't treat him with that much respect.

Judal stood beside Hakuryuu and returned to shuffle through a shelf once again, and this time he retrieved a couple makeup bags and a handful of brushes. He opened the first bag, and stared at the facial makeup before him.

There was an unforeseen outcome of that: Judal's lightest concealer and foundation shades were several shades too dark for Hakuryuu's complexion. Judal groaned, putting them away into one of the bags.

"I never use those anyway," he complained, putting the bag away into a drawer, "Wearing makeup like that feels like I'm wearing a mask or something."

"I know," Hakuryuu agreed. He had tried multiple times throughout his life to find a way to cover up his scarring across his face. Makeup didn't do the trick, and there was no way he would have the time or money to wear makeup so heavily on the daily over such a large portion of his face and neck, anyway.

"What should I start with, then?" Judal looked at Hakuryuu, and he gently touched Hakuryuu's chin to lift it slightly. "Eyes?"

"I guess," Hakuryuu agreed, "Have anything pigmented enough to show up over this?" He gestured toward the scar over his left side, knowing Judal knew what he meant anyway. Judal grinned, and his hand dropped from his face.

"Of course I do," he unzipped a makeup bag, and several eyeshadow palettes a brush materialized. Judal chose out the darkest ones, and Hakuryuu recognized a few of the colors. "I wear dark makeup anyway," he admitted, twirling the eyeshadow brush in one hand as he carefully selected a color.

"How's this?" Judal held up a single eyeshadow container. It was a shimmery purple he had worn often, made clear by how little was left. "I think it would look good with your cool eyes."

"Cool eyes?" Hakuryuu gave a confused look. Nobody had called his eyes something like that before, he recalled. Cool? Judal shouldn't be the one talking, being someone with such striking dark red eyes. Judal covered the brush in the eyeshadow of his choice, and touched Hakuryuu's chin again.

"Stay still," Judal stared into his eyes and leaned in a bit, ready to begin, "And close your eyes, idiot."

"Oh, right," Hakuryuu shut his eyes. He felt Judal lean close, and he held his face a bit tighter to keep him still. The light touch of the brush over his eyes made him scrunch his nose and smile at the gentle tickling sensation. He focused on Judal's breathing throughout the process, keeping him calm and helping maintain his patience. 

A few minutes passed and Hakuryuu figured Judal would be done soon. This was confirmed when he felt Judal shift, leaning back to admire his work. He heard Judal's breath catch.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Hakuryuu opened his eyes a crack, just enough to see Judal rifling through his makeup bag once again.

"No," he said, continuing to dig through the bag, "I want to add one more thing, then I'm starting your eyeliner." Hakuryuu left his eyes open a crack, though, because Judal wasn't paying much mind to him anyway. And he was curious what Judal was picking out.

Judal looked up too soon, eyeliner and mystery container in hand.

"Hakuryuu!" Judal jumped forward, laughing, putting his hand over Hakuryuu's eyes, "I said close your eyes!" Judal leaned heavily on him, and Hakuryuu started laughing too. Once they both were done giggling at that exchange, Judal wiped his eyes and straightened up. He removed his hand from Hakuryuu's face and was delighted to see he kept his eyes closed.

Why did Hakuryuu always have to look so good? It took all of his self control to not take advantage of him when he had his eyes closed like this. It would be too easy just to lean in and steal a kiss.

Judal thought about it, then began gathering black glitter on his eyeshadow brush. This would be an interesting look along with the dark purple and the liquid eyeliner he planned on applying next.

He dabbed a bit of primer onto Hakuryuu's eyelids and began to apply the loose glitter to the edges of his eyes. Hakuryuu recoiled at the feeling.

"What are you doing, Judal?" he complained, eyes still shut. "You better know how to remove glitter. And don't get any on my clothes or in my hair." 

"Yeah, yeah," Judal pressed on. He hoped Hakuryuu knew how to remove glitter.

After a minute he was finished applying the glitter. Some flecks had fallen off of his eyelids and onto his face. He gently brushed glitter from under his eyes and on his cheeks with his thumb, liking the feeling of touching Hakuryuu's face. Hakuryuu leaned into the touch slightly, but it was enough for Judal to notice.

He finished cleaning off Hakuryuu's face with a clean fluffy brush, and he uncapped the liquid liner. This was always his favorite part.

"Hold still, and open your eyes," Judal instructed. Hakuryuu opened his eyes, and Judal was looming over him with the pen of liquid liner. He hoped he could trust him not to gouge out his eye.

"Look up," Judal said, so Hakuryuu did. Judal continued, "Don't look down until I say." He applied the liner underneath his eye in a few strokes, and he blew on it to dry it quickly. He did Hakuryuu's other eye in the same manner, careful not to make the lines thicker than the other eye.

"Alright, look at me now," Judal commanded. Hakuryuu looked down at him and waited as Judal analyzed his work. He nodded in approval, stating, "Looks even to me. Can you look down slightly? I have to do the top liner now."

Hakuryuu responded by glancing downward, and he folded his hands in his lap. Judal held Hakuryuu's face for this part, and he worked slowly to get the lines as smooth and sharp as possible. It took some time, but eventually both eyes were complete and Judal had given his approval.

"What's next?" Hakuryuu asked, eyebrows knit. This was taking longer than he had expected, and he just wanted to shower at this point.

"Lashes?" Judal held up a box of dramatic false lashes.

"Please no," Hakuryuu groaned, "Won't mascara be enough?"

Judal tapped the box to his chin as he thought, and shrugged. He fished out some mascara, opening it and agreeing, "I guess. Your lashes are pretty long anyway." 

Judal made quick work of applying the mascara. Hakuryuu knew when to open his eyes, look up, look down, and when to close his eyes. As the process was becoming easier, Judal was finished.

"Do you want me to fill in your eyebrows?" 

"No," was the flat answer.

"Ok," Judal tried again, "Let's move on to lips then."

"Are you almost done?" Hakuryuu asked, touching at his eyelashes.

"Don't rub your mascara," Judal chided, "And yes, all that's left is lips. Close your eyes."

"Why should I close my eyes if you're doing my..." Hakuryuu paused. He gave Judal a cold glare when the realization dawned. "...lips. How did I know you were leading up to this?"

"Are you going to let me or no?" Judal prompted, wiggling his eyebrows at Hakuryuu's conflicted expression. Hakuryuu closed his eyes and let out a breath, and that was enough of an answer.

Judal still wanted Hakuryuu to have a nice lipstick color to go along with his eyes, though. So he applied matte dark, waterproof liquid lipstick to Hakuryuu's lips. He touched them to make sure it had dried, and he leaned in to double check.

He pressed his lips to Hakuryuu's, putting his hand behind his neck and placing the lipstick back onto the table with his other. Once both his hands were freed, he ran his hand through Hakuryuu's hair to pull out the hair clips. His hair tumbled down to frame his face, and Judal shut his eyes to match Hakuryuu. Hakuryuu was definitely kissing back now, and his hands had found Judal's hair quickly. 

After a few moments of that, Judal pulled back a bit to breathe and he opened his eyes, half lidded and happy. It was a nice kiss, Judal thought. He was disappointed in the fact that he didn't get any tongue, but he supposed he would have to teach Hakuryuu another time. Hakuryuu's eyes fluttered open and he looked at Judal.

"Can I take my shower now?" Hakuryuu asked, quietly. He always felt flustered and a bit embarrassed after kissing Judal, as if it was something he shouldn't be doing. Yet he did it each and every time, and never once regretted it.

"Not until you look at your makeup," Judal proudly stated, and he gestured to the mirror behind Hakuryuu. Judal put his hand over Hakuryuu's eyes once again, and Hakuryuu turned his chair to the mirror. Judal moved his hand once Hakuryuu was settled, and he stared at his reflection.

Judal had done a good job, which was surprising. Judal's usual look was quite sloppy, eyeshadow only on the edges of his eyes and occasionally some eyeliner. But this was far more advanced than what Hakuryuu thought he could accomplish. 

It was alien to see himself like this, with such dark makeup and sharp lines. His sister had tried to do his makeup times before, but it was nothing close to this. He gently touched his lips.

"You... did well," Hakuryuu admitted, still baffled at everything that just happened. "I didn't think you were this skilled," he admitted.

"I've been doing makeup for years!" Judal complained, "Why is everyone always so surprised?"

"Because you don't wear makeup like this?" Hakuryuu suggested.

"It takes too long," Judal concurred, "Besides, it looks better on you than it would on me."

"That's hard to believe," Hakuryuu muttered as he stood, and he looked down at Judal. "Can I go shower now?" 

Judal stood, and swiftly kissed Hakuryuu. Hakuryuu stood, dazed, as Judal quickly spun and practically glided to the door. 

"After me, you can," Judal stuck his tongue out, and closed the door. A moment later, Hakuryuu could hear the water running. Surprisingly, Hakuryuu wasn't as annoyed as he should be. Even when Judal did stuff like this, he still felt somewhat happy. So Hakuryuu laid down on Judal's bed, waited for Judal to finish his shower, and fell asleep in the process.


	5. Backpacks and Braids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judal prepares to leave Hakuryuu alone for a few hours.

Judal returned from his brisk shower covered in beads of water with his hair damp and knotted. He had a pair of loose shorts thrown on, and a towel in his hand to lightly rub at his hair. He trotted across the room, wet feet lightly sticking to the wooden floor. He grabbed a comb from one of the drawers, and began to section his hair. 

After beginning combing through his hair, it suddenly crossed his mind that he had forgotten he had a guest. He turned abruptly, comb in hand, other hand full of long, dark hair he was working on. He was relieved to find Hakuryuu asleep on his bed, face still full of makeup, with his eye makeup sparkling slightly as the light from the window hit it.

He turned his head to look out of said window, seeing the sun a bit lower in the sky than he had hoped. He rustled through his closet to find a black shirt with gold trim, which he pulled on without hesitation. Judal had afternoon classes to attend, and he was reluctant to leave Hakuryuu alone like this. He began combing through his hair as he considered his options, glancing at Hakuryuu's peaceful resting face from time to time. 

He figured the best solution would be to wake Hakuryuu, inform him of his schedule, and leave him to sort things out for the afternoon. Hakuryuu would be alone for a large portion of the day, leaving meant trusting him alone in his house for multiple hours. Hakuryuu still had to shower, so he knew he could at least do that while he was gone. Perhaps, Hakuryuu would cook something for Judal to return home to. That would be ideal, he thought to himself, hopefully.

He decided to braid his now significantly less tangled hair after waking Hakuryuu, because it would take a long time and he could do it whilst talking. He shook out his hair to keep it from dripping, and he walked over to Hakuryuu's sleeping form. He didn't exactly know how to go about this, now thinking about it. Judal never had siblings in all of his years of fostering, so he never had to do something of this sort.

He shrugged, deciding on doing what felt natural. He lightly touched Hakuryuu's upper arm, and he waited a moment to see if he would stir. He didn't, to Judal's dismay, so he continued to step two.

"Hakuryuu," Judal whispered lightly, shaking his arm gently. Hakuryuu must have been a pretty heavy sleeper, or incredibly exhausted, because even that didn't wake the boy up. Judal sighed, pressing a bit harder into Hakuryuu's arm, repeating louder, "Hakuryuu."

Hakuryuu's eyelids fluttered at hearing his name, and he finally began to stir. He grumbled to himself, and tried to regain his position to sleep again. Judal intervened and placed his hand on his shoulder to keep him awake, and at the contact Hakuryuu begrudgingly opened his eyes and glanced up at Judal, a bit stunned.

"What's wrong?" Hakuryuu sleepily muttered, struggling to keep his lidded eyes steady on Judal's face. 

"I'm leaving for class in..." Judal trailed off, releasing Hakuryuu's shoulder to reach for his phone on the bedside table. He glanced at the time on his phone, wincing slightly as he said, "Eight minutes."

He sat down next to Hakuryuu's slack form, sighing and closing his eyes to begin a long explanation. "I've got classes from 1:00 to 3:00, 3:30 to 6:00, and 7:00 to 8:00. There isn't enough time for me to bother coming back here, the buildings I have to go to for these particular classes are less than convenient. You're going go to be alone for a couple hours." Judal opened his eyes at the end of that sentence, and he sighed.

Hakuryuu felt annoyed that he wasn't told this sooner, but that subsided once he thought it through and figured it was someone else's home he was staying in, and that Judal was a student. He doesn't have the right to be upset with Judal for leaving him for the rest of the night, he should feel grateful Judal even bothered to tell him. He mentally reminded himself he was due to thank Judal for allowing him to stay as long as he had.

"It's fine," Hakuryuu said, stretching out his arms and repositioning himself into a sitting position. "I'll find something to do," he admitted. He always could find a way to entertain himself. Whether it be reorganizing the bookshelves in Judal's home, cooking dinner, cleaning the kitchen; those were only a few of the observations Hakuryuu had made. This dorm wasn't exactly spotless, with two busy college students living there. Hakuryuu knew he could spend a couple hours simply cleaning here and there, regardless of where Judal was.

Judal didn't respond, Hakuryuu didn't mind, though, because it wasn't really necessary to. Though, he did think Judal looked quite good with his hair loose, draping over his shoulders and framing his face which was deep in thought. Hakuryuu didn't wait for Judal to voice those thoughts, prompting, "Shouldn't you be getting ready to leave right about now?"

Hakuryuu gestured at the time. Six minutes left. Judal's eyes widened, and sprung from the bed immediately. He began frantically shoving messy folders of papers, books, and heavy binders into his bag. Hakuryuu decided in the time it took for this fiasco to end that he would definitely shower once Judal had left.

Judal had gathered everything he needed and was ready to be out the door. He felt as if something were missing, he went through a mental checklist, and seemingly nothing was out of place. A couple steps towards the door told him something was definitely wrong.  
He ran his fingers through long, untangled slightly damp hair. He slumped his shoulders, turning around again to face Hakuryuu. 

"Do you know how to braid?" Judal half begged, holding up a large portion of his hair, hoping for the best.

"There's no way I could braid all of that in three minutes," Hakuryuu huffed, "I could probably do half, is that enough?"

"Yeah, that's a lot more than I could do," Judal admitted, "Besides, I can always rebraid it later," he said, plopping down on the bed next to Hakuryuu. He made quick work of braiding his hair as best as he could with his prosthetic and shortage of time.

Judal huffed in impatience, glaring at the clock a last time before turning to give Hakuryuu a quick kiss on the cheek. He stood, grabbed the end of his hair to hold what had been done of the braid, and hurried out of the room. 

Bag and braid in hand, he made it to his class just as the door was about to be closed. He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he could spend the next hour or so doodling in his notes and thinking about Hakuryuu.


End file.
